Dear Editor,
The word for crisis in Japanese has two characters. The first means “dangerous". The second means "opportunity". Can they both be true?
Scientific studies and disastrous climatic conditions confirm the crisis of climate change and the dangers to our planet and ourselves. But "opportunity? Incredibly, yes. And plenty of it.
Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have stimulated private sector investment around our state and in household energy efficiency.
The IRA has spurred billions of dollars of investments in Georgia’s manufacturing sector and brought thousands of jobs, particularly in rural areas, including:
· $2.5 billion expansion of Q-cells solar manufacturer in Northwest Georgia
· $4.3 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Bryan County
· $200 million in KIA plant in West Point, Georgia
· Expansion of SK battery plantin Roswell, Georgia
· $72 million invested in Georgia Congressional District 10for two new clean energy projects
· $930 Million invested in Georgia Congressional District 12for five new clean energy projects
· Over $18 billion in private investments in new clean energy manufacturing facilities and installations statewide
· More than 16,000 new clean energy jobs statewide
Tax credits and rebate programs are helping families invest in modern equipment to keep their homes comfortable, lower utility bills and provide healthier indoor air.
During upcoming budget negotiations in Congress, it is essential that Georgia's Representatives and Senators across party lines maintain IRA programs that are sustaining Georgia’s success as a clean energy power house.
The "opportunity" in this crisis is real...... and it is ours for the taking!
Bruce Menke
Athens
The fallacy of EVs is neverending. Georgia's grid is mostly carbon. Your fancy battery powered car stores carbon based energy. There is no way the grid in Georgia can handle a complete EV conversation. I invite the writer to visit a "green" wood burning facility in Madison County where wood is brought in on diesel trucks and burns dirty as coal. It is anything but green.
Heavy EV cars use twice the tires over the car's life as a regular car and has no end of life plan for the batteries yet they are called green. The environmental cost of mining for EV industries is enormous.
I can't believe you can call a huge spending packed full of subsidized ventures…
It's actually the ICA (Inflation Creation Act).
This guys posts are always laughable.
Opportunity and danger. This reminds me of Gamble Rogers description of symbols in Aclawaha County. The symbol for home is a square. The symbol for woman is a circle. The symbol for trouble is a square containing two circles.
Our massive political push to electrify everything certainly carries some trouble with it. Heavier and quicker cars will almost certainly result in more and more damaging wrecks. Mining of rare earths has so far resulted in more slavery and exploitation of child labor.
EVs may use energy more efficiently that ICE cars, but their greater weight means they use more energy to move that weight. Greater weight also means more tire wear and tire wear particles have now been shown t…